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Written by Ayanika Das
Ayanika is an experienced content writer with a background in Hotel Management and a master's in hospitality administration from IHM Calcutta. With her expertise in content creation and copywriting, Ayanika has collaborated with numerous companies across various sectors. She's currently focusing on the crypto and investment sectors and crafting in-depth pieces about different aspects of the crypto space.
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Last Updated on December 9, 2024
Tether (USDT), launched by Tether Limited Inc., is one of the most widely used stablecoins in the world. Pegged 1:1 to the US dollar, USDT offers a stable alternative for trading.
Over the years, Tether has expanded across multiple blockchains, including Ethereum, Tron, Solana, Polygon, and Avalanche, making it highly versatile and accessible. Anyone who wants to indulge in stablecoin trading has to know about Tether (USDT), its reserves, circulation, and trading trends.
With that in mind, to help investors understand Tether better, we provide comprehensive insights into its reserves, circulation, demand, and market trends.
Tether (USDT) is a stablecoin tied to USD, designed to maintain a $1 value with minor fluctuations of $0.01 to $0.02 for short periods.
Although significant changes are not expected, USDT has depegged in some rare instances. For example, in March 2015, it dropped to an all-time low of $0.57, deviating $0.43 from its intended value.
In July 2018, it reached an all-time high of $1.32, a $0.32 increase from its pegged value.
However, the currency has largely remained stable for the last few years and upheld its name as a stablecoin.
Tether (USDT) generally maintains its $1 value, but historical data shows it can occasionally experience significant deviations.
There are 114.5 billion USDT coins in circulation, with a market cap of $114.4 billion.
As of 2024, Tether (USDT) is the largest and most traded stablecoin, with a 24-hour trading volume of approximately $63.4 billion.
As of June 2024, the assets in Tether reserves exceed the total amount the company owes to Tether (USDT) token holders by $5.3 billion ($5,334,337,355).
In the Q2 report, Tether significantly increased its reserves, primarily through direct or indirect ownership of U.S. Treasuries. The reserve value exceeded $97.6 billion, setting a new record.
After summing up all the asset categories in Q2 of 2024, the reserves for total Tether (USDT) tokens in circulation stood at $118,436,336,293.
Tether has surpassed countries like Germany, UAE, and Australia in terms of treasury ownership.
Tether is also the third-largest buyer of 3-month U.S. government bonds, trailing only the United Kingdom and the Cayman Islands. The company’s reserves backing the tokens in 2024 include assets such as:
Asset Category | Amount in USD |
US Treasury Bills | 80,948,647,984 |
Overnight Reverse Repurchase Agreements | 11,286,972,273 |
Term Reserve Repurchase Agreements | 997,373,133 |
Money Market Funds | 6,355,402,510 |
Cash & Bank Deposits | 109,867,228 |
Non-US Treasury Bills | 72,412,344 |
Corporate Bonds | 17,377,107 |
Precious Metals | 3,814,334,566 |
Bitcoin | 4,734,040,881 |
Other Investments | 3,528,626,010 |
Secured Loans | 6,571,282,275 |
Total | 118,436336,293 |
In 2023, Tether had $86.4 billion in reserves to support $83.2 billion worth of USDT in circulation, resulting in a backing ratio of 104%. By Q2 2024, Tether’s reserves increased by 37.04%.
In 2023, Tether’s reserves were composed of 68% U.S. government bonds maturing in less than 90 days, 10% short-term loans backed by U.S. government bonds, 1% other short-term loans and non-U.S. government bonds, 10% low-risk investment funds, less than 0.5% cash and bank deposits, and 15% higher-risk investments.
Tether’s increased reserves and diverse investment strategy reinforce its commitment to maintaining a strong backing for USDT.
Tether is available on over 15 blockchains, with the largest supplies on Ethereum and Tron. In 2023, these two blockchains averaged 2.16 million transactions, totaling about $13 billion USD.
In December 2023, Tether (USDT) recorded around 127 million monthly transactions.
By April 2024, this number had increased to 163.6 million, reflecting a 7.56% growth. This growth indicates the high popularity of Tether(USDT) stablecoin.
In 2023, Tether (USDT) was the third-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, valued at $83.6 billion, making up 7.5% of the total cryptocurrency market capitalization. By July 2024, its market capitalization had grown 36.4% to $114 billion.
Within the stablecoin market, valued at $130.2 billion, Tether held a 64% share in 2023. Tether’s substantial market share and consistent valuation highlight its dominance and reliability in cryptocurrency.
By August 2024, Tether’s market share increased to 70% in a stablecoin market worth $164 billion.
USDC, another major stablecoin, held a 21% market share. Such data clearly shows the Tether’s significant and expanding influence in the cryptocurrency market.
Tether (USDT) is the largest stablecoin and has gained users’ trust over the years.
Consequently, over 1,900 companies, services, stores, and websites now accept Tether (USDT) as a mode of payment. Some of the companies that accept Tether (USDT) include:
Tether (USDT) ‘s widespread acceptance as a payment method highlights its reliability and growing integration into various sectors.
Fly Fairly | Dating.com, a leading online matchmaking site operating in over 32 countries, has adopted Tether (USDT) as a payment method. |
Parfum Palais | An online luxury platform selling premium perfumes that accepts Tether(USDT) as a mode of payment. |
Alternative Airlines | Alternative Airlines is another airline ticketing platform providing access to flights from over 600 global airlines, with Tether (USDT) as a payment option. |
Lemo HDTV | Lemo HDTV, a leading North American streaming service, operates in over 25 countries. With a library of over 15,000 channels, including local and international HD and UHD streaming, it’s one of the largest global entertainment providers. You can subscribe to this platform using Tether (USDT). |
Time Magazine | Time Magazine, one of the most renowned news outlets, now accepts Tether (USDT) for subscriptions. |
HostMeNow | HostMeNow offers comprehensive services, including website hosting, domain names, marketing, and VPNs. Businesses worldwide can now pay for these services using Tether (USDT). |
Vertis Aviation | Vertis Aviation arranges luxury travel for celebrities, politicians, and corporate leaders worldwide. The company now accepts Tether (USDT) as a payment option for its services. |
Dating.com | Dating.com, a leading online matchmaking site operating in over 32 countries, has adopted Tether (USDT) as a payment method for its services. |
GoPure Botanicals | Lemo HDTV, a leading North American streaming service, operates in over 25 countries. With a library of over 15,000 channels, including local and international H.D. and UHD streaming, it’s one of the largest global entertainment providers. You can subscribe to this platform using Tether (USDT). |
Argemti | Argemti offers luxury jewelry and wearables, including silver and gold-plated anklets, bracelets, necklaces, rings, chains, and charms. Customers can make purchases using Tether (USDT). |
Tether made a net profit of $6.2 billion in 2023. Of this, $4 billion came from U.S. government bonds, reverse repos, and money market funds, while the remaining $2.2 billion came from other investments.
In 2024, Tether’s performance was even more impressive. By Q2, Tether reached a net profit of $5.2 billion, including an operating profit of $1.3 billion. The company attributes this profit increase to the rising market capitalization of USDT.
As of the last report in June 2024, about $580 million worth of Tether (USDT) has been issued on the TON blockchain.
Out of all the blockchains that support Tether, TON is now the 6th biggest blockchain for Tether issuance, following Tron, Ethereum, Solana, Avalanche, and Omni.
As of July 2024, TON has an authorized USDT of 730 million.
Tron hosts nearly 60.8 billion authorized USDT, while Ethereum and Solana hold 51 billion and 1.8 billion USDT, respectively.
Such integration into multiple blockchains highlights Tether’s widespread adoption, with TON emerging as a significant player among established giants like Tron and Ethereum.
Ayanika is an experienced content writer with a background in Hotel Management and a master's in hospitality administration from IHM Calcutta. With her expertise in content creation and copywriting, Ayanika has collaborated with numerous companies across various sectors. She's currently focusing on the crypto and investment sectors and crafting in-depth pieces about different aspects of the crypto space.
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